Austin Arrows 2 Nicole Edwards

The latest album from Nicole Atkins, Italian Ice, was recorded in the greatly respected Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and features members of the Bad Seeds, Dap-Kings, the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and more. Genre-hopping is a feature on this album and its influences range from soul to Roy Orbison. Speaking of soul, Nicole Atkins’ voice is full of it. That is the immediate feeling that hits you as you dive headfirst into the sweeping landscape of the first track on this musically moving album. AM Gold has all the throaty soulfulness of an Aretha Franklin track with the atmospheric beachcomber feel of a Morcheeba album. Nicole describes Italian Ice as “an acid trip through my record collection” and she couldn’t be more right. This is the sound of the perfect summer spent on beautiful deserted beaches with the waves lapping at your toes and the sun caressing your skin. This album is just divine and listening to Nicole’s voice is like diving into cool, clear sound waves.

With apologies to Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin has always quite simply been the best jack-of-all-genre singers on the planet, crossing effortlessly from jazz to pop and R&B with a voice that's so sweet, rich, and lovely, it can't help but warm the heart. On the heels of her 1988 masterpiece The Real Me, her GRP debut packs a wallop of festive up tempo tunes, lite funk pop, torchy message songs, passionate ballads, and breezy tenderness – all delivered with a truly Austin-tatious flair. Austin surrounds herself with some of pop jazz's best here, with GRP's 1990 roster well represented: Dave Grusin (whose production is flawless), Don Grusin (with whom she co-wrote the happy "Ooh Wee (The Carnival)"), Deborah Henson-Conant (whose harp adds punch to "In My Dreams"), Lee Ritenour, and Nelson Rangell (whose alto soars on the title cut).